Hands on Health Australia 

Hands on Health Australia (HoHA) is an Australian charity and educational partner. Since 1987, our organisation has been delivering quality inter-disciplinary health care to the wider Australian community and communities abroad through training, education, research and treatment.

Our volunteer practitioners offer Chiropractic, Osteopathy, Massage, Myotherapy, Naturopathy, Herbal medicine, Nutrition, Counseling and Acupuncture. Some clinics also offer optometry, yoga, and legal advice.

There are currently 10 volunteer community clinics in Australia and 4 international treatment and training programs. Around 30,000 people are reached per year, delivering around 10,000 treatments through the collective efforts of up to 500 HoHA volunteers.

Approximately 600,000 patients have been cared for over the years, totalling an estimated sixty million dollars in treatment value alone. When coupled with the contribution of in- kind infrastructure, including low or no cost premises, accommodating HoHA clinics and training programmes, this figure more than doubles.

Since the first clinic began in St Kilda, HoHA programmes have potentially saved governments an estimated 150 million dollars in healthcare and clinical training costs. More importantly, the organisation’s contribution in serving and empowering people in need has been acknowledged as invaluable in each of the communities served.

Student & Volunteer Placements

Working in partnership with some of Australia’s principal colleges and institutions, HoHA provides unique and meaningful student placements both nationally and internationally in our clinics and with our partner organisations. With a focus on ensuring today’s students have the best possible social, cultural and clinical exposure our programmes provide the foundations for successful, compassionate and leading practitioners of the future.

Nationally, our community clinics host approximately 100 students of Chiropractic, Myotherapy, Naturopathy, and Osteopathy per year. Unlike a traditional student clinic, these students work with patients from marginalised and disadvantaged communities, similar to a public health care setting.

Our Global Community Health Exchange Programme (GCHEP) involves students and volunteers visiting our partner organisations and international programmes. Here, whilst under supervision by qualified practitioners, they can observe and learn about international health concerns as well as the implications of social, environment, and geographical circumstances on health outcomes.  Our partner organisations are working in the field of community development and health promotion, therefore working in some of the most remote, poorest areas of the globe.  This international exposure and experience can place new graduates a step ahead of their colleagues whilst reinforcing the spirit of community and social responsibility inherent in all HoHA programmes.

We are dedicated to ensuring lasting and sustainable change whilst bridging gaps in healthcare and collaboratively responding to the needs identified by local communities. Therefore as part of these programs, our local partner NGOs provide students and volunteers the opportunity to practice and share knowledge whilst working side-by-side with local community health workers. 

Programs are organised to include, among other things, visits to traditional medicine and local health facilities, knowledge exchange with local health workers, health and treatment camps, and general sightseeing.

Our programs bridge worlds and empower students and volunteers to become agents of social change both at home and abroad.

For updates, tour dates and costs, see What's On.

HoHA is a not-for-profit organisation funded by the community. All proceeds from student placement fees are directed towards sustaining our volunteer clinics locally and abroad.

For further information about HoHA and our work please see our main website at: www.hoha.org.au

Testimonials